Hard-luck veteran finally strikes gold

Associated Press

Always a contender, never a winner. Gerard van Velde believed he was destined for Olympic heartbreak.

The Dutchman, renowned for his fourth-place showings, won Olympic speedskating gold in the 1,000 meters Saturday, breaking the world record just four years after giving up the sport to sell cars.

“That I could do it here is so incredibly beautiful, it’s a crown on my career,” van Velde said. “It’s terrific that it turned out this way. Amazing.”

The Americans picked up their fourth medal in five events at the Utah Olympic Oval – doubling their total from the Nagano Games – when Joey Cheek earned the bronze behind the 1-2 Dutch finish of van Velde and Jan Bos.

In a sign of the improving U.S. depth, Kip Carpenter took fourth, Nick Pearson was sixth and 500 gold medalist Casey FitzRandolph was seventh.

“I can’t believe I just won a medal at the Olympics,” said Cheek, a 22-year-old former inline skater from Greensboro, N.C. “I gave it my best shot when I was out there. I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t give up, don’t quit.’ “

Van Velde skated in 1 minute, 7.18 seconds, slapping his left hand to his head in disbelief as he crossed the line. He bettered the previous record of 1:07.72 set by Jeremy Wotherspoon of Canada last year at the Utah Olympic Oval.

Bos earned silver in 1:07.53. Cheek (1:07.61) also bettered the old world record.

Wotherspoon, reigning world champion in both the 500 and 1,000, stamped himself as a major Olympic disappointment by placing 13th. He fell just four strides into the 500.

Van Velde knew a little something about Olympic disappointment, too. He was fourth in the 1,000 – missing a medal by 0.01 seconds – and fifth in the 500 at the 1992 Albertville Games.

“It’s really bad motivation to be this close, and no medal,” he said, holding up two fingers an inch apart. “Some people said, ‘Hey, fourth. That’s good.’ But I’m 30 years old and this is my last chance.”

Short-track speedskating

China gets first gold: Yang Yang (A) of China won the women’s 500 meters, giving her country its first winter gold medal.

Women’s hockey

U.S. clinches top seed: Behind a hat trick from first-time Olympian Natalie Darwitz, the U.S. women stayed on track to defend their gold medal. The Americans beat Finland 5-0 Saturday to clinch a top seed in the medal round, as Sara DeCosta stopped 21 shots for her third Olympic shutout. The United States’ 34th consecutive victory set up a semifinal matchup with Sweden, which lost 11-0 to Canada on Saturday night.

The Canadians, silver medalist in Nagano, will face Finland.

Alpine skiing

Norwegian wins seventh medal: Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway won his second gold medal in four days – this time in the Super G – giving him seven career Olympic medals. It’s two more than the previous highest total in Alpine skiing, home to big-name Olympians from Jean-Claude Killy to Alberto Tomba.

The 30-year-old Aamodt swept past the favored Austrians to win the super giant slalom – his first win in a Super G race in nine years. The four-time Olympian now owns three gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

The U.S. medal hopeful, Daron Rahlves, was a disappointing eighth after a run marked by too-wide turns and several bobbles.

Nordic combined

U.S. jumps into contention: If they can ski as well as they ski jump, the U.S. Nordic combined could break its 0-for-the-Olympics losing streak.

On Saturday, the team was in third place after the 90-kilometer jumping portion of the event. The second half, a 20-kilometer cross-country relay, is today.

The United States has never won a medal in 23 Nordic combined events across 19 Olympics.

Biathlon

His and hers medals: Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway missed two of his 20 shots in the 12.5K biathlon pursuit, yet captured his third gold medal of the week. Raphael Poiree of France won the silver and Ricco Gross of Germany took the bronze.

Poiree and his wife, Liv Grete Poiree of Norway, became the first married couple to win Olympic medals while competing for different countries. Liv Grete Poiree won the silver in the women’s 15-kilometer individual biathlon event Monday.

American Jay Hakkinen finished 13th, the highest finish ever for an American in any biathlon event.

Olga Pyleva won the women’s 10-kilometer pursuit, the first Olympic gold of the 26-year-old Russian’s career.